Flemish-Dutch summit: focus on innovation and infrastructure

November 6, 2018

On 5 November, the Government of Flanders headed to Middelburg, the Netherlands for the fourth biennial Flemish-Dutch summit. Innovation and infrastructure dominated the bilateral talks during the conference.

Minister-president Bourgeois and his Dutch counterpart Rutte discussed various European dossiers, including Brexit. Both Flanders and the Netherlands attach great importance to broad and deep cooperation with the UK. The Minister-presidents also talked about the climate objectives with a view to implementing the Paris Agreement.

Minister of Education Hilde Crevits and her Dutch colleague Ingrid Van Engelshoven will join forces to tackle the teacher shortage. In their presence, the Ghent University and Campus Zeeland signed a letter of intent on the cooperation on maritime research. The agreement is a first step in the establishment of a cooperation platform on rising sea levels and phenomena such a salinity, due to climate change.

This Flemish-Dutch summit takes place every two years. The purpose is strengthening cooperation in as many dossiers as possible. This year there were agreements about the Smart Delta Resources platform for the exchange of residues in the recycling industry, the establishment of a tri-national workgroup for 3RX (the railconnection between Flanders, the Netherlands and Germany ) and the cooperation on inland navigation.